Riding The Sea Crest 7th Grade Wave

On Tuesday May 19th, the 7th grade Sea Crest class set out to prove that they wouldn’t be outdone by the Sea Crest 6th graders! Following hot on the heels of the 6th Grade Hygiene Drive, the 7th grade class undertook a large and complex task: Sorting through over 7,500 pounds of food donated the weekend before during the annual Postal Worker food drive.

After an orientation with Coastside Hope food program manager Julie Rupert, the students self-assigned themselves in teams and spread out across the driveway of our food warehouse. Some students moved food barrels, organizing them in three groups: Unsorted barrels; sorted and checked barrels; and discarded unsafe food. Others took food from the unsorted barrels and spread them on tables for their teammates to sort through. The majority examined the donated food under the supervision of Katie Moore, Sea Crest Physical Education & Health Director.

The air rocked with calls of “Julie!” as students carried questionable items to Julie for inspection. Students soon mastered the complexities of “best by,” “use by” and other dates found on packaging. They learned which dented cans are safe – and which are not. They laughed over unusual non-food items found in the donation stream, and had a contest to see who could find the oldest can of food.

If you’ve never experienced the energy of 38 middle school students cheerfully working together, the best comparison might be a Mavericks Competition-sized wave. Julie and Katie surfed the wave masterfully, channeling the energy productively into the task at hand. When the wave subsided, we were left with 47 barrels of date-checked, safety-checked food, ready for stocking on our pantry shelves!

Thank you to the amazing kids of Sea Crest School for their community spirit. Here are some shots of these great Coastsiders at work: